Warning to Other Cyclists – Drone Stolen in Spiez by E-Bike Riders

We’ve been cycle touring across Europe, starting in Amsterdam and heading south. We’ve been climbing through Switzerland and today stopped in Spiez to take some photos. These guys were flying a drone, and I asked if it was restricted since I have a HoverAir. The guy on the left in black said he’d always wanted one. I took it out to show him and then set it down.

They were friendly and chatty — even gave me a bicycle-shaped keyring “as a gift” — but it turns out they were just distracting me. The guy in black on the left picked up my HoverAir Pro Max while we were talking. They suddenly started to leave, and I stopped them and said we should get a group photo. Right after this photo, they left quickly.

As they were riding off, I looked around for my HoverAir and couldn’t find it. Hmm. Then I realized — they took it. I took off after them as fast as I could — maybe I could catch them back in Spiez (they were heading back the way we came). But I’m on a regular gravel bike with panniers and they were on rented e-bikes. I rode down and up through Spiez, but couldn’t find them. Looking at the photo later, I saw he’s holding it behind his back.

I went to the Spiez police station, but today is Ascension Day and it was closed. They had an intercom with a red button, and the person on the other end told me to report it tomorrow. So tomorrow I’ll go to the local police station to file a report.

Unlikely we'll cross paths again, but if we do, I’ll report them again. Maybe I should also let the Aosta and Milan police know. Either way, I wanted to give folks in this subreddit a heads-up. I’ve been cycle touring for years, and fellow cyclists are usually generous and helpful — we look out for each other. This is the first time I’ve ever been ripped off by someone else on a bike. But looking back, they didn’t really seem like actual cyclists anyway.

Watch out out there.